Breakdown of O inimigo vigia-o como se soubesse a identidade dele.
dele
his (forms: dela, deles, delas)
o
him/it (m)
saber
to know
como se
as if
o inimigo
the enemy
vigiar
to surveil
a identidade
the identity
Questions & Answers about O inimigo vigia-o como se soubesse a identidade dele.
Why is soubesse used here instead of a regular past tense?
The phrase como se (as if) always triggers the Imperfect Subjunctive tense in Portuguese. It introduces a hypothetical situation: the enemy doesn't actually know his identity, but they are acting as if they did. Soubesse is the third-person singular form of saber in this tense.
The English translation says "they knew", so why isn't the verb plural (soubessem)?
Can you explain the hyphen in vigia-o?
The -o is a direct object pronoun meaning "him". In European Portuguese affirmative main clauses, these pronouns are attached to the end of the conjugated verb with a hyphen. Vigia means "watches", so vigia-o directly translates to "watches him".
Why use dele instead of the possessive sua for "his"?
Both a identidade dele and a sua identidade mean "his identity" and are correct. However, sua can mean "his", "hers", or "yours" (when speaking formally). Using dele (literally "of him") is very common because it completely removes any ambiguity.
Why is a form of saber used here rather than conhecer?
Saber is used for knowing facts or pieces of information, such as a name, an address, or an identity. Conhecer is used for being acquainted with a person or place. If the enemy knew the person directly, you would use conhecer, but knowing the fact of their identity requires saber.
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